Well since a Faux-Bar is essentially a single pivot...your really looking at two very similar suspension designs. I've owned a 2003 Kona Stinky which had the same suspension design as the Dawg in a slightly heavier package (2003 Stinky was more like the Coiler than present day Stinky's) and it was a solid design. I rode a friends older design Heckler and found it a little uninspiring and a tad flexy...but otherwise it was a good bike. The new Heckler looks to have a much more stout swingarm and pivot so I would guess the flexy part is no longer an issue. I know the Dawg...despite it being a Kona...tends to lean on the XC side of things. The Heckler on the other hand seems quite solidly set in the AM side of things. I think I would probably go for a Heckler with the RP23 shock (I have had three Float R's over the years, including a propedal one, and have never felt they were a very good shock).

My opinion

Im a "retiring" freerider and have seat time on both bikes. Im 5'10, 235 geared up and the Dawg is so much better a bike for all conditions. I have taken mine to Snowshoe WV and ridden the park and done 7-8 hour xc rides. The 06 heckler was good at xc but not too good in the rough..meaning flex in the rear. I can't say about the new Heckler, but it gets rave reviews. Another perk about the Dawg is on steep long climbs, there is no need for an adjustable travel fork. Just leave it at full travel and go. My Dawg has had 0 issues in 2+ years of hard use. Good luck.

Interesting you say that about climbing with the Dawg. I have an 07 Dawg Primo with the Fox Float fork. Steep climbs are the only thing I don't ablsolutely love about my Dawg. The front end wanders quite a bit and I really have to move forward to keep it under control.
I have also found the front fork to be real flexy in rough snowpark type riding. I think a 36 TALAS would solve these issues.
Since buying the Dawg in May, I have put thousands of miles on it, riding almost every day. It has been a great bike that does everything I need it to. Racing, commuting, DH, freeride, whatever.

Well since a Faux-Bar is essentially a single pivot...your really looking at two very similar suspension designs. I've owned a 2003 Kona Stinky which had the same suspension design as the Dawg in a slightly heavier package (2003 Stinky was more like the Coiler than present day Stinky's) and it was a solid design. I rode a friends older design Heckler and found it a little uninspiring and a tad flexy...but otherwise it was a good bike. The new Heckler looks to have a much more stout swingarm and pivot so I would guess the flexy part is no longer an issue. I know the Dawg...despite it being a Kona...tends to lean on the XC side of things. The Heckler on the other hand seems quite solidly set in the AM side of things. I think I would probably go for a Heckler with the RP23 shock (I have had three Float R's over the years, including a propedal one, and have never felt they were a very good shock).

You're kidding about their similarities, right?

One is a high single pivot. Really flexy and reactive to pedaling inputs. The suspension dynamics under power are quite different.

The Dawg is a non-horst "four bar". No such thing as a "faux bar" and people calling designs like that get laughed at because it's funny. They've been had by Specialized's full page ads. The dynamics of the design are NOTHING like the SC. The main pivot is also in a very low location, when compared to the Heckler. These two bikes will not ride the same. The linkage on the Kona also helps reinforce the structure and reduces side loads to the shock, adding stiffness, as well as longevity for the shock.